Tag Archives: Race

28 hours and 1544 miles in the car, 4 medals later…

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When I really should have been making last minute preparations for two full days of meetings and presentations for my “day job”, I procrastinated a little bit longer and mapquested just how far I drove and how long I had been in the car for the past 10 days. The sum: well over 28 hours and somewhere in the 1500 miles range. From my apartment in Farmington, Connecticut to a weekend training on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, to the USRowing Club National Championships in Indianapolis, and finally to Charlotte, NC for two days of ESPN meetings, it has been quite the roadtrip.

While in “windy Indy” I managed to snag 2 Bronze and 2 Silver in the 4 events I competed in (Bronze in Intermediate 4x and Intermediate 1x, Silver in Intermediate 2x and Senior 1x). I am most proud of that Silver in the Senior 1x — managed to beat out one of the women who put me in 3rd for the Intermediate 1x the day before (and technically, Senior 1x is the better race). Redemption. It was a great week — lots of racing (11 2Ks total), some races better than others. But the goal was to get my strokes in and try and come away in the top 3 in as many races as I could. Goal(s) achieved. The roadtrip continues.

Besser jeden tag.

Women's 1x and fellow Virginia Wahoos!

Letting it Happen…just like at the Catch

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Training Camp #2 concluded this past Saturday as “my training family” and I pulled out of Aiken, South Carolina and onto I-95 ,headed back north to Connecticut. Last week was an important lesson in the importance of patience and the undeniable significance of timing. Things truly happen at their own pace and in many instances, beyond our control. Whether it is in our professional, personal, or athletic worlds, we only have so much control over limited things in our lives. When we force or attempt to press on certain issues, objects, relationships, or whatever they may be, those things tend to only push back and become even more difficult for us to handle. Every force has an equal and opposite force (reaction), right?
 
Aiken, SC Sunrise - 2011 Training Camp

 

Just like at the catch, simply letting the blades drop into the water, you can’t force it (as I seem to be doing right now). When you force this inevitable part of the rowing motion, things go awry. Balance can be compromised, you dig the blades too deep into the water, and your stroke becomes inefficient and ineffective. Rowing is power, but rowing is very much finesse. I’ve got the power down, but allowing for finesse and trusting that certain things will happen is coming a bit slower. This concept serves as an interesting metaphor for other facets of my life. Patience,  timing, and learning to be comfortable with just letting things happen- who knew rowing would drive home such big life lessons.

I completed my first NSR (National Selection Regatta) time trial this morning in what I hope will be the absolute worse rowing conditions I ever have to row in for a very long time. Brutal. Mind you, I’ve yet to actually compete in a full-on 2,000 meter race. Not to worry, this will come tomorrow morning. I didn’t make it into the Heats but managed to not finish last. There is a small victory in that. Success takes time and while I’ll never be of the mindset to sit back and let success happen, I do need to remember an important lesson I learned in all my years of ball sports… Let the game come to you.